39th week!

Anticipation is high around here! It's the start of my 39th week! There's been lots of babies being born lately that we know and we are getting so excited for our turn!

Yesterday we packed up most of the back patio, cleaned out the garage, and both vehicles. We installed the car seat and the stroller is in the back. We are ready to roll!

Wednesday I have another doctor appointment. We will see if there's any progress!

Team Evan!

All the compliments :)

During my pregnancy I have had so many wonderful compliments from friends, family, and complete strangers. It's mostly women. But lately it has been men. Every time I go to the grocery store men of various ages make a point to stop and tell me congratulations , how great I look, ask what I'm having, and say sweet compliments and wish me luck. Some share stories about their firsts and how their wife did.
It's like your in this new secret club and everyone wants to chat with you about it!! It's so cute! I expect it from women from time to time, sure Moms like to encourage other Moms.
But I gotta say, the Dads have been so sweet!
I have to remember to pay it forward to the other pregnant women I see because it really has been nice hearing this blessings and compliments from people.
Let's hope it has nothing to do with the fact that my wedding ring doesn't fit any more and haven't been wearing it!! Lol!!! I remember I was asked by my new dermatologist the other day if I had help with the baby. I started talking about how my Moms were going to come and I have sisters nearby and lots of friends to help out during the day. Then when I was driving home, it hit me. She thinks I'm not married!!! I didn't have a ring on and she thinks I'm doing this baby on my own!!
Maybe I ought to get a temporary larger wedding ring.....

Finding the right Pediatrician

Well today we interviewed our final Pediatrician and we are in agreement that he's a great fit for us and our little Evan. Dr Jim Megremis is in a practice 5 miles from our home with 2 other female Peds Physcians with St. Vincent.
He has been practicing since 1994 so he has a great deal of experience and is still very passionate about his job.
It started by us sitting in the very clean exam room and over hearing him talking to a little girl Brogan in a fun accent or voice. He does voices for kids. She liked it. So check for him for the fun aspect for kids!!
Then he comes in and is wearing Superman suspenders and Bright blue socks! We both take notice right away. Josh is into fun socks and makes a comment on his bright blue socks. Then he raises his pant legs to reveal they are knee high Superman socks with red caps off the back calf!! Too cool. He confesses to being a bit of a superhero nerd! Well guess what so is Josh!!
We are both like ok, our little guy would love a fun doctor like this!!:)
Then we got into all the questions and his answers were singing praises to us.
They start their day by praying as a staff. He believes in treating the whole family both physically, mentally and spiritually. Healthy kids come from healthy balanced parents he says. We AGREE!! So we talked faith, vaccines, office visits, and more. Then he offered to continue our conversation further by calling us personally later tonight. And took our cell phone numbers. He had a patient waiting. We liked this. He is accessible and willing to go the extra for his families.

We walked out and said ok, Dr. Megremis it is!!:) He's the right fit for us and is very understanding about our concerns. He had us at the socks though!:)
Feels good to have this decision made!! We can't wait for Evan to meet him and be under his care!

Mom and Dad

38 weeks

38 weeks this week!!

Long Distance Love

This last week we received a really great gift. A great friend and client of mine, Judy C, sent Evan the cutest North Face fleece hoodie! It's so small and cute. I think Daddy is going to have to get one to match. The best part was the homemade card and message inside that accompanied the gift! We still have the card on the island in the kitchen. Judy moved back to California a couple years ago and I miss her and her husband Dave, a huge Notre Dame fan. We still talk often and she has been really involved with keeping up on Timnah and the pregnancy through this blog. It's great to have you a part of this process Judy! Thank you from all of us!

Daddy

Reading and Resting Up!

I'm resting up today after a busy day yesterday celebrating our 8th Anniversary! We had a fun day together. Josh surprised me and took the day off to have fun!
I've been up since 4am, so I'm zapped and I'm trying to rest up and recover from the bronchitis. I got a couple books from the library that I'm reading. I could check out the entire parenting section of books at the Zionsville library but there's not enough time to read them all. They sure look good though!

I weighed myself last night and I had a slight dip in weight, which hasn't happened in 9 months. I remember that that can be a sign that labor is close. Thursday is a full moon too! Which is also the same day our cousin is having twin girls! Wouldn't that be crazy if I had Evan on the same day!

I doubt it will happen. I think he's got some more cooking to do. And we still have a few more things to get situated too. We are interviewing one more Pediatrician and then we are going to make our choice! I still need to order my breast pump through my insurance. There is a store at the hospital that takes care of that for you and brings your pump to you after delivery. Which is great! One less thing to pack for the hospital!
We are starting on the packing this week just for peace of mind that we are prepared when things get real! My head won't be able to think about packing once it's go time!

I better crack open my books and start reading!

Momma

37 weeks!

This is the start of my 37th week!! Evan is considered full term! We feel so thankful to get to this week with no complications.

I am battling some bronchitis for the last couple weeks. But I'm toughing it out without meds. I'm trying to get rest, lots of water, and good nutrition. I think it's getting a little better.

I have hit a growth spurt! Gained 10 pounds in a week! That is slowing my pace down. I can't be as active as I was, so I am forced to rest more. We are back to the up several times a night routine. Again, I am thankful to not be working so that I can rest during the day after being up all night.

Thursday I have another doctor appointment and from here I will be checked every week to see how I am dilating. Josh is attending these appointments with me. We continue to discuss the final details of our birth plan.

We are getting pretty excited to be this close! Tomorrow is our 8th Anniversary and we are going to go out for a date night! We are going out a lot these next few weeks and Josh has been playing lots of golf! Soon we will have a different schedule and need baby sitters to do all this!!:)

Time sure has flown by with this pregnancy!

Excited Parents

Finalizing the Wills

Today we signed and finalized our Wills.  It feels so good to have that done and know that things will be taken care of for Evan and future children if anything ever happened to us.

It was quite a process to go through and think about what we would want for him.  We haven't even held our baby boy yet but we had to make big decisions on his future already!

We had discussions with family members and talked about our wishes.  It's hard to have some if those discussions about what happens if we are gone, but it really is so important to communicate your wishes with your family.

Josh and I are happy to have all that squared away.  This is exactly what he recommends for his clients so, it's important to us that we have it done as well.  Another thing checked off the list before Evan arrives!:)

Mystery Gifts!!

Someone sent us the most adorable onesies for Evan but there's no name so we have no idea who sent them!!
If it was you let us know! We want to thank you!! We absolutely love them!! Josh loves the one about flexing!! Lol!!:)

Nursery is Complete!

It's just waiting on a precious baby boy!!

Big Shopping Trip!!

That picture says it all!!!! A new baby comes with a LOT of stuff!!! We aren't sure what all we will really want or need until we are in the grove of things. We tried to get what other people had recommended. So we will see if we use it all. Most if it is our stroller and all the accessories to make travel more comfortable. Crazy part is we aren't done yet!!:) Theres always more to buy the first year! We have been so thankful for the hand me downs and borrowed gear that other parents have given us. Some of this stuff is so short term we hate to buy it for only a few months of use.
Now where in the world do we put all this STUFF???!!!!

A Special Gift

The amount of gifts we have received throughout the showers has been amazing. It's unbelievable how much stuff a baby requires! One of the gifts I personally received was from a great friend of mine, Damon Phelan.

A couple years ago, Damon, his brothers and his father, Joe went with a few of us to a Notre Dame game in South Bend. We made a special trip to Digger Phelps house to meet Digger! He gave Joe, a LIFELONG Notre Dame fan, a special memento and an awesome pep talk! After an amazing tailgate and a very big shopping trip through the ND bookstore we were wrapping up one of Joe's bucket list items. Just a few short weeks after that day, Joe passed away and we lost a great and loving father, a good friend, a fantastic architect and true ND fan.

That day in the bookstore, Joe bought 4 Norte Dame ties. They ended up with Damon after Joe passed. For a shower gift specifically for me, Damon gave me 2 of them, one for me and one for Evan. Along with the ties was the most heartfelt and special note I have ever received. Damon talked about that day and how special it was to him him and his dad. He talked about the unique relationship between a dad and his son. He also gave me some great advice to keep your wife as the center of your world-that the best way you can teach your son to love is show how how to love his mother with all your heart. He finished by saying that he wanted me to take Evan to a game someday and wear the ties and to tell him about the special day that a dad and his sons shared the specter of Notre Dame and all it's mystique.

I read the letter and broke down in tears as I finished it. It was just awesome to feel the love in his words for his son, his dad and me. I read it to the women still at our house and we all cried again.

I'll never lose that letter and I can't wait to take Evan to Notre Dame stadium someday wearing those very ties. I think I'll get 4 seats and Damon and Dillon can go as well. We'll all remember Joe and remember how special that day was those many years prior.

Thanks Damon for being a mentor and a friend for the last 10 years. To our sons and fathers!

35 weeks!!!

It's getting close! We are working on wrapping our last "To-Dos" before his arrival!